Students Nationwide To Walk Out In Gun Protests « CBS New York

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) — Thousands of students across the country planned to stage walkouts Wednesday to protest gun violence, one month after the deadly shooting inside a high school in Parkland, Florida.

Organizers say nearly 3,000 walkouts are set in the biggest demonstration yet of the student activism that has emerged following the massacre of 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

“I wanted people to know that Stoneman Douglas will be the last school this happens to,” said Stoneman Douglas student Julie Brighton. “We wanted to make a change. We want to be the generation that changes everything.”

The coordinated walkout was organized by Empower, the youth wing of the Women’s March, which brought thousands to Washington, D.C., last year. The group urged students to leave class at 10 a.m. local time for 17 minutes — one minute for each victim in the Florida shooting.

“We the young people of this country are advocating for change and we want change now,” said Cincinnati high school student Makayla Stover.

Although the group wanted students to shape protests on their own, it also offered them a list of demands for lawmakers, including a ban on assault weapons and mandatory background checks for all gun sales.

“Our elected officials must do more than tweet thoughts and prayers in response to this violence,” the group said on its website.

Students in the Tri-State area will be among those participating as well. Mayor Bill de Blasio and Gov. Andrew Cuomo will be joining some of them at two schools in Brooklyn and Manhattan, CBS2’s Janelle Burrell reported.

But the planned protests have drawn mixed reactions from school administrators. While some applaud students for taking a stand, others threatened discipline.

Districts in Sayreville, New Jersey and Maryland’s Harford County drew criticism this week when they said students could face punishment for leaving class.

But some vowed to walk out anyway.

“I am worried about it, but I would rather fight for what’s right then a little suspension,” said Sayreville student Sydney Calder.

Other schools sought a middle ground, offering “teach-ins” or group discussions on gun violence. Some worked with students to arrange protests in safe locations on campus.

Officials at Boston Public Schools said they arranged a day of observance Wednesday with a variety of activities “to provide healthy and safe opportunities for students to express their views, feelings and concerns.” Students who don’t want to participate could bring a note from a parent to opt out.

Meanwhile, free speech advocates geared up for a battle. The American Civil Liberties Union issued advice for students who walk out, saying schools can’t legally punish them more harshly because of the political nature of their message.

In Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Texas, some lawyers said they will provide free legal help to students who are punished.

Wednesday’s walkout is one of several protests planned for coming weeks.

The March for Our Lives rally for school safety is expected to draw hundreds of thousands to the nation’s capital on March 24, its organizers said.

Another round of school walkouts is planned for April 20, the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting in Colorado.